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Panic set in following a mixed critical reception to the sublime On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service, with Bond producers Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman not only going to great lengths to convince their departed leading man Sean Connery to play 007 again following George Lazenby\u2019s one-off stint but also ditching the straight-laced tone and emotional maturity of the previous film in favour of broad comic larks.<\/p>\n
The end result is the franchise\u2019s least substantial and least satisfying outing to date \u2013 though no 007 movie is totally without merit and Diamonds Are Forever does at least boast a pair of memorable sub-villains in the creepy Mr Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr Kidd (Putter Smith).<\/p>\n
Watch Diamonds Are Forever on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
24. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Roger Moore\u2019s second outing as 007 actually boasts one of the finest ever Bond villains in Christopher Lee\u2019s expert assassin Francisco Scaramanga, not to mention one of the all-time-great final face-offs, with Bond taking on the titular bad guy in a spooky funhouse. But these saving graces aside, TMWTGG feels tired and uninspired \u2013 a franchise revamp would come after a three-year break with The Spy Who Loved Me \u2013 and Moore seems ill-at-ease playing a Bond who more closely resembles Sean Connery\u2019s more brutish version of the character.<\/p>\n
Watch The Man with the Golden Gun on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>23. Die Another Day (2002)<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Though it has a reputation for being the frothiest Pierce Brosnan outing, Die Another Day does make an attempt in its first hour at pushing agent 007 into unexplored territory \u2013 something the Daniel Craig movies would later do to far greater critical acclaim \u2013 as Bond is held captive and tortured, emerging physically and emotionally scarred. But all this is forgotten and the film\u2019s credibility is lost in a ludicrous second half that takes in ice palaces, lasers, invisible cars and a dubious plot involving a villain changing his race. Brosnan deserved better for his swan song.<\/p>\n
Watch Die Another Day on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>22. A View to a Kill (1985)<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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It\u2019s something of an odd trend that a Bond actor\u2019s final outing as 007 is often their weakest and it comes into play again with A View to a Kill, a lightweight outing that\u2019s not without its good points \u2013 Christopher Walken giving a typically offbeat performance as Nazi super-soldier Max Zorin, Grace Jones eating up the screen as his henchwoman MayDay, Patrick Macnee exuding pure charm as Bond\u2019s ally Sir Godfrey Tibbett \u2013 but can\u2019t escape the fact that its leading man is pushing 60 and now makes for an utterly unbelievable action hero.<\/p>\n
Watch A View to a Kill on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
21. Quantum of Solace (2008)<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Daniel Craig\u2019s debut as Bond had stunned audiences with its more grounded, complex portrayal of 007 and his previously fantastic world \u2013 but its sequel got off to a rocky start.<\/p>\n
No, we\u2019re not talking about that head-scratcher of a title \u2013 taken from one of Ian Fleming\u2019s short stories \u2013 but the fact that, due to a writers\u2019 strike, QoS started filming without a finished script and it showed in the deeply uneven final product, which lacks a compelling arc for Bond and a truly great villain for him to go up against.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe movie kind of works,\u201d Craig himself said in the 2021 docs-film Being James Bond. \u201cIt\u2019s not Casino Royale, and that was always going to be\u2026 It was like [\u2026] second album syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch Quantum of Solace on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>20. Spectre (2015)<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Star Trek fans used to swear by a rule that all odd-numbered films in that franchise disappointed and something similar applies to the Daniel Craig Bond movies, with the Casino Royale\/Quantum of Solace double being followed first by the sublime Skyfall and then the bloated Spectre, which stumbles in its efforts to implausibly link the events of the four prior movies via Christoph Waltz\u2019s Blofeld (now reinvented, for some reason, as Bond\u2019s long-lost foster brother) and sees a subdued Craig \u2013 who sustained a serious injury during filming \u2013 appear to struggle with the film\u2019s more fantastical tone and limp climax.<\/p>\n
Originally envisioned as his exit from the franchise, Craig deserved better for his final appearance as Bond \u2013 and though it took longer than planned, he eventually got it.<\/p>\n
Watch Spectre on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>19. Octopussy<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Only a handful of Bond films are truly disappointing and while we remain in the lower stretch of this ranking, Octopussy is a thoroughly entertaining romp, offering up a memorable villain in Louis Jordan\u2019s suave, sinister Kamal Khan, a formidable performance from Maud Adams as the film\u2019s title character, an absolutely wild turn from Steven Berkoff as Soviet general Orlov, plus a larger role than usual for our beloved Q (Desmond Llewelyn). The film also has a handful of memorable set pieces, from the opening hunt for and murder of 009 to Roger Moore\u2019s Bond disarming a nuclear bomb while dressed as a clown (a sequence, surprisingly, played almost totally straight).<\/p>\n
Watch Octopussy on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
18. For Your Eyes Only<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Bringing Bond back down to Earth \u2013 literally \u2013 after the Star Wars aping exploits of Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only is perhaps Roger Moore\u2019s most straight-laced entry in the series and while he\u2019s traditionally associated with the frothier fare, this (slightly) grittier entry actually works a treat, with Carole Bouquet mesmerising as revenge-seeking orphan Melina Havelock and Topol\u2019s forming a fun on-screen partnership with agent 007.<\/p>\n
Plus, FYEO offers an interesting subversion of recurring ally General Gogol (Walter Gotell)\u2019s usual role as he works against MI6 to recover the film\u2019s MacGuffin, a stolen ATAC (Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator).<\/p>\n
Watch For Your Eyes Only on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
17. Moonraker<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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It gets a lot of stick and while Moonraker is at points Bond at its absolute silliest \u2013 for all the ludicrous outer space antics, the ruthless killer Jaws falling in love and seeing the error of his ways is the film\u2019s nadir \u2013 it\u2019s actually far more substantial than many give it credit for.<\/p>\n
The film\u2019s first half is excellent, on a par with its immediate predecessor The Spy Who Loved Me, delivering a number of memorable sequences \u2013 Corinne (Corinne Cl\u00e9ry) being hunted by a pair of ravenous hounds, Bond\u2019s encounter with the centrifuge \u2013 as Roger Moore\u2019s 007 goes up against Michael Lonsdale\u2019s urbane villain Hugo Drax, who delivers some of the very best one-liners in Bond villain history (\u201cMr Bond\u2026 you defy all my attempts to plan an amusing death for you.\u201d).<\/p>\n
Your mileage may vary on the sci-fi tomfoolery that follows but just try and subdue a smirk when Q (Desmond Llewelyn) delivers that \u201cattempting re-entry\u201d line at the movie\u2019s climax.<\/p>\n
Watch Moonraker on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
16. No Time to Die<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Perhaps the most controversial entry in the franchise\u2019s history, with fan reactions to its explosive ending ranging from outrage to those who felt killing off Craig\u2019s 007 provided a fitting send-off to his tragic take on the hero, No Time to Die didn\u2019t quite reach the heights of the actor\u2019s very best outings as Bond but was a marked improvement on its baggy predecessor.<\/p>\n
Though, like Spectre, some of its more outlandish elements don\u2019t integrate wholly successfully into the more grounded world of Craig\u2019s Bond, where this climax to his era really soars is in digging deeper than ever before into the secret agent\u2019s humanity and his vulnerability, even giving him a family \u2013 something, at last, to fight for, and to live for, and to die for, beyond just Queen and country.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve seen it, it\u2019s sort of difficult to imagine how else the Craig era could\u2019ve ended \u2013 just having the tortured spy ride off into the sunset with L\u00e9a Seydoux\u2019s Madeleine (again), this time with little Mathilde (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet) in tow, wouldn\u2019t have been anywhere near as satisfying.<\/p>\n
That being said, let whoever comes next reinvent Bond in their own way \u2013 and maybe even reintroduce a little more tongue-in-cheek humour. This is a franchise that\u2019s always thrived on reinvention, after all.<\/p>\n
Watch No Time To Die on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
15. Tomorrow Never Dies<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Pierce Brosnan\u2019s second outing as Bond might not quite recapture the vital brilliance of his debut but it remains a rollicking good time regardless, with the man himself on top form as he faces off with corrupt media baron Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce).<\/p>\n
From the ambitious opening sequence \u2013 which sees 007 take to the skies to avert a nuclear catastrophe, onwards \u2013 it\u2019s two hours of frenetic fun packed with some of the franchise\u2019s most memorable sequences (Bond taking part in a car chase while driving his BMW with remote control from the back seat) and supporting characters (best of all being Vincent Schiavelli\u2019s professional assassin Dr Kaufman).<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, in the introduction of Bond\u2019s former love Paris Carver, TND marks a notable pre-Daniel Craig attempt to add more emotional complexity to the Bond character.<\/p>\n
Watch Tomorrow Never Dies on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
14. The World Is Not Enough<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Sorely underrated (as indeed is Brosnan\u2019s Bond overall), when most people think of The World Is Not Enough they think just can\u2019t get past Denise Richards being cast as a nuclear scientist named Dr Christmas Jones. But this third outing for Pierce again foreshadows the Craig era in attempting to tell a character story with a little more depth against the backdrop of explosions, wild chases and colourful villains, as 007 falls for and is betrayed by Sophie Marceau\u2019s Elektra King \u2013 shades of Vesper Lynd there \u2013 getting his heart broken and his shoulder badly injured in the process.<\/p>\n
Plus there\u2019s a subtle, touching farewell to franchise veteran Desmond Llewelyn, Robbie Coltrane having heaps of fun as Bond\u2019s frenemy Valentin Zukovsky and a boat chase on the Thames \u2013 what\u2019s not to like?<\/p>\n
Watch The World Is Not Enough on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
13. You Only Live Twice<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
For all its successful efforts to revamp and revitalise the franchise, the Craig era of the Bond franchise recognised that there are certain tropes and characters always worth revisiting \u2013 including 007\u2019s arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld.<\/p>\n
Though the character actually debuted \u2013 face unseen \u2013 in From Russia with Love, it was in the final movie from Sean Connery\u2019s initial five-film run that we got our introduction proper to Blofeld, here played by a superbly creepy Donald Pleasure in a performance that\u2019s never been bettered by any of his successors. And though the four Bond outings that preceded it are all arguably stronger, more cohesive movies \u2013 and certain aspects of the film\u2019s treatment of Japanese culture will make most contemporary viewers wince \u2013 You Only Live Twice is admirably bonkers and unfettered, with Spectre\u2019s hollowed-out volcano lair now the stuff of legend (and relentless parody).<\/p>\n
Watch You Only Live Twice on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
12. Thunderball<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Still one of the biggest Bond films at the box office, adjusted for inflation, Thunderball took inspiration from one of Ian Fleming\u2019s more outrageous novels to produce what is arguably the first blockbuster Bond, with this tale of SPECTRE holding NATO to ransom with two hijacked atomic bombs delivering a sense of scope and grandeur that its (slightly) more grounded predecessors hadn\u2019t offered.<\/p>\n
Though the aquatic nature of its action scenes means that certain of these sequences lag, there\u2019s little else that\u2019s lethargic about this colourful 1965 movie, which sees Sean Connery at his charismatic go up against an all-time great villain in Adolfo Celi\u2019s eyepatch-sporting Emilio Largo (\u201cYou wish to put the evil eye on me, eh?\u201d) and romance two of the franchise\u2019s most memorable female leads in the form of Claudine Auger\u2019s Domino and Luciana Paluzzi\u2019s villainess Fiona Volpe.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s fun to be had too with the film\u2019s unofficial remake \u2013 1983\u2019s Never Say Never Again, produced as part of a legal wrangle over the rights to Fleming\u2019s original tome \u2013 but this remains the definitive screen adaptation of the book.<\/p>\n
Watch Thunderball on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
11. Dr. No<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Back where it all started \u2013 measured against what followed, 1962\u2019s Dr No is a relatively stripped-back offering, with much of the film charting Bond\u2019s investigation into the disappearance of a spy colleague. But there\u2019s an appeal to its simplicity when compared to the more ostentatious offerings that followed and the film\u2019s final act is vintage Bond, with 007\u2019s trip to the titular villain\u2019s residence of Crab Key transporting both him and the audience into a science-fiction world of mechanical dragons, deranged super-villains and extravagant top-secret HQs.<\/p>\n
Then and now, though, the film\u2019s biggest selling point is Sean Connery\u2019s performance \u2013 though his Bond is perhaps a little less poised than he would later become, his work here remains one of the most confident, charismatic characters debuts you\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
In a film packed with iconic moments \u2013 not least Ursula Andress\u2019s Honey Ryder emerging from the ocean \u2013 it\u2019s the film\u2019s introduction to \u201cBond, James Bond\u201d that is unquestionably the standout. In that instant, we all fell in love with the character, the film, and the franchise.<\/p>\n
Watch Dr. No on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
10. Live and Let Die<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Roger Moore\u2019s first film as James Bond 007 is also one of his very best \u2013 though certain of his later efforts and in particular their broad sense of humour tend to divide fans, Moore\u2019s lightness of touch brought a renewed vigour to a franchise that, following one \u2018failed\u2019 attempt to replace Sean Connery, was desperately in need of a new leading man to not only take up the reins but make the character and the franchise his own.<\/p>\n
Moore\u2019s arrival transforms both Bond and the world he inhabits \u2013 it\u2019s impossible to imagine any other Bond actor taking his place here, as he guides us through a more comic book but no less compelling version of 007\u2019s universe, which is still nevertheless replete with danger, excitement and captivating villains.<\/p>\n
Live and Let Die offers us three of the most memorable Bond antagonists in the form of the sinister trifecta (or should that be quartet) Kananga \/ Mr Big (a superb Yaphet Kotto), Tee Hee (Julius Harris), and Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder) \u2013 and, of course, one of the most memorable theme songs, with Wings\u2019 effort, much like the film\u2019s leading man, being both similar enough to its predecessors while also delivering something fresh and new.<\/p>\n
Watch Live and Let Die on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>9. The Living Daylights<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Sunset Boulevard\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
From one debut to another and while Roger Moore\u2019s arrival on the scene had once given Bond a much-needed shot of adrenaline, 12 years and seven films later, the franchise was again in serious need of an overhaul to avoid looking creaky \u2013 Bond has always operated in cycles, growing bigger and more outrageous before stripping things back and starting the whole process off again, and one of the most successful examples of the process came in 1987 with The Living Daylights.<\/p>\n
Keen to return the film series to its roots, Timothy Dalton mostly eschewed the puns and knowing humour of his predecessor, but never let anyone tell you that he stripped the glamour or charm from 007 \u2013 his take on the character is a magnetic man of action, a dynamic force pushing the story forward.<\/p>\n
Though his debut suffers a little from underdeveloped antagonists, it benefits massively from Dalton\u2019s chemistry on-screen with Maryam d\u2019Abo\u2019s Kara Milovy, one of the more convincing romances in the series \u2013 indeed, one of only a handful of Bond\u2019s dalliances with the opposite sex that could be called a \u201cromance\u201d at all. A slick, stylish and surprisingly sensitive thriller, The Living Daylights proved there was still plenty of life left in Bond yet.<\/p>\n
Watch The Living Daylight on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
8. Licence to Kill<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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One of a handful of films on this list that arguably holds a reputation it doesn\u2019t deserve, 1989\u2019s Licence to Kill is sometimes dismissed as a low point for the series \u2013 an entry that took the \u201cback to basics\u201d approach of The Living Daylights too far and stripped Bond of all its glamour and style in an attempt to compete with \u201880s action flicks like Lethal Weapon. (The fact that, due to an unrelated legal tussle, the franchise went on a six-year hiatus after this film\u2019s release, after which Timothy Dalton declined to return as Bond, probably hasn\u2019t helped with that assumption.)<\/p>\n
In fact, Licence to Kill is plenty stylish, with plenty of the wit and wild action you\u2019d expect from Bond at its best. Just watch the sequence in which our hero escapes the Wavekrest by barefoot skiing on the ocean and then commandeering a seaplane and try arguing it\u2019s not this franchise at its action-packed best.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s true that it breaks away from the standard formula by having 007 go rogue and undertake a mission of personal vengeance against the drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) for the maiming of his friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison), in hindsight the film feels like an obvious precursor to and influence on the wildly popular Daniel Craig era, which saw Bond embark on more personal vendettas than actual missions.<\/p>\n
This is a movie far better than some critics might suggest, and more influential than has probably been recognised.<\/p>\n
Watch License to Kill on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
7. Skyfall<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Skyfall \u00a92012 Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. \u00a9 MGM<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
The Craig era didn\u2019t always successfully manage to fuse 007 tropes of old with the franchise\u2019s new, more modern outlook, but arguably the most successful attempt was 2012\u2019s Skyfall, which saw this Bond back behind the wheel of his Aston Martin DB5, once again appearing alongside the likes of Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw), and going up against a wonderfully grotesque villain \u2013 in the form of Javier Bardem\u2019s Raoul Silva.<\/p>\n
Yet, most importantly, it\u2019s a story that still felt like it wouldn\u2019t have fit any other Bond era, exploring our hero\u2019s roots as well as themes of moral ambiguity and great personal loss (RIP, Judi Dench\u2019s M).<\/p>\n
All that and it\u2019s got a shotgun-toting Albert Finney barking \u201cWelcome to Scotland!\u201d after eliminating two thugs encroaching on his turf. What\u2019s not to love?<\/p>\n
Watch Skyfall on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>6. The Spy Who Loved Me<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Like Connery before him, Roger Moore started out strong but most would agree that the peak of his era came with his third outing as 007.<\/p>\n
After 1974\u2019s The Man with the Golden Gun wasn\u2019t all that anybody had hoped, the Bond creative team took their time (a then-unprecedented three-year break between movies) and took stock, producing a film that combined the best qualities of Connery\u2019s later movies \u2013 the blockbuster scope and scale, the extravagant set-pieces \u2013 with the lightness of touch that Moore\u2019s arrival had introduced.<\/p>\n
The end result is an absolute hoot, as Bond works to thwart megalomaniac Karl Stromberg (a steely Curd J\u00fcrgens) and his plans to eradicate the surface world and start a new civilisation beneath the ocean, and also comes up against Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach), a rival agent whose lover Bond had killed on a previous mission \u2013 a plot strand which, mostly thanks to Bach\u2019s performance, also gives the film an unexpectedly emotional edge.<\/p>\n
All that, and it\u2019s got a car that goes underwater and, in Richard Kiel\u2019s Jaws, one of the series\u2019 most memorable heavies. Truly, nobody does it better!<\/p>\n
Watch The Spy Who Loved Me on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>5. GoldenEye<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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Pierce Brosnan\u2019s 007 debut film faced the unenviable task of reviving the Bond franchise after a then-unprecedented six-year gap between movies, following what was at the time considered a lull for the series. <\/b><\/p>\n
In hindsight, some of its knowing nods to series tropes now feel heavy-handed \u2013 Bond\u2019s casual womanising, heavy-drinking and catchphrases (\u201cShaken, but not stirred!\u201d) all come in for a none-too-subtle jab or two \u2013 but in all other regards, GoldenEye is a pitch-perfect example of how to soft reboot, bringing Bond in line with the best of \u201890s action cinema without losing any of what kept audiences coming back across the previous three decades.<\/p>\n
From the off, Brosnan is incredibly assured in the lead role, while Sean Bean\u2019s treacherous Alec Trevelyan ranks as one of the all-time great Bond villains, with the star being cast as the former 006 \u2013 very much the dark flip side of 007 \u2013 by canny producers following an unsuccessful audition for Bond.<\/p>\n
Despite some stiff competition, it also features what is unquestionably the best Q\u2019s laboratory scene in the franchise\u2019s long history (\u201cDon\u2019t touch that \u2013 that\u2019s my lunch!\u201d).<\/p>\n
Watch Goldeneye on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
4. Goldfinger<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
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The extravagant pre-titles sequence, the outlandish henchman (Harold Sakata\u2019s near-mute, deadly Oddjob), the Bond girl with the highly suggestive moniker (Honor Blackman\u2019s no-nonsense pilot Pussy Galore), the belting theme song (an all-time great from Shirley Bassey), the gadget-laden car (and the Q\u2019s lab scenes which introduced them), the convoluted methods of torture, even 007 toying with his nemesis as part of an apparently amicable game\u2026 1964\u2019s Goldfinger might not be the all-time best Bond movie \u2013 though it\u2019s certainly up there.<\/p>\n
Yet, Goldfinger is, without question,\u00a0 the most definitive and influential of Bond films.<\/p>\n
Though its two predecessors unquestionably established many franchise tropes, it was with Sean Connery\u2019s third outing that the series firmly established its formula, made up of the shopping list of elements reeled off above that, without which, Bond wouldn\u2019t quite feel like Bond.<\/p>\n
It was also the tipping point for the series, the point at which 007, fittingly enough, became true box office gold, and a true cultural phenomenon, with a miniature version of Bond\u2019s Aston Martin DB5 becoming the best-selling toy of 1964.<\/p>\n
Without Dr No and From Russia with Love, the screen Bond wouldn\u2019t exist, but without Goldfinger, it\u2019s very probable it wouldn\u2019t have survived this long.<\/p>\n
Watch Goldfinger on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
3. From Russia With Love<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Sunset Boulevard\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s controversial perhaps to place Sean Connery\u2019s second Bond film above the film which followed, but From Russia with Love is just that little bit tighter, sharper and more thrilling than Goldfinger \u2013 a taut Cold War thriller packed with intrigue, glamour and some truly electrifying action scenes.<\/p>\n
The Orient Express bout between Bond and Donald \u201cRed\u201d Grant, in particular, still packs a punch, often being imitated but never bettered.<\/p>\n
It also still holds the accolade of featuring perhaps the best ensemble cast in the franchise\u2019s history \u2013 and there\u2019s some serious competition \u2013 with Pedro Armend\u00e1riz utterly magnetic as Bond\u2019s ally Kerim Bey, Vladek Sheybal as the superbly slimy as chessmaster and SPECTRE agent Kronsteen, Lotte Lenya\u2019s terrifying and treacherous Rosa Klebb and, perhaps best of all, Robert Shaw, who is utterly mesmerizing as SPECTRE assassin Grant \u2013 one of the few foes who has ever genuinely felt like a credible threat to Bond. \u201cWhat a performance\u201d indeed.<\/p>\n
Watch From Russia with Love on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>2. Casino Royale<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
2006 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s a tight contest between this and Skyfall for Daniel Craig\u2019s best, but the impact that Casino Royale had on release in 2006 marks it out as the more important movie, the one which absolutely defined Craig\u2019s era as 007.<\/p>\n
Following a lukewarm reception to both the previous film in the series \u2013 2002\u2019s Die Another Day \u2013 and (initially at least) Craig\u2019s casting as Bond, this was a pivot point for the franchise, a juncture at which it needed once again to reinvent itself dramatically or face being consigned to the dustbin of history.<\/p>\n
We all know what happened next \u2013 Bond rebuked the critics once again and re-established itself as a major player in the world of modern blockbuster cinema by stripping away all that might\u2019ve once seemed sacrosanct (the quips! The gadgets! The \u2018007 family\u2019 of Moneypenny, Q et al) and unleashing a revitalised version of the character played by a steely but sympathetic Craig.<\/p>\n
Our lead was suitably supported in his 007 debut by a sensational turn from Eva Green as Vesper Lynd and the absolutely magnetic Mads Mikkelsen as the villainous Le Chiffre.<\/p>\n
Taking the skeleton of Ian Fleming\u2019s first Bond novel and building around it an action thriller that felt genuinely dangerous and unpredictable at points, this was the most exciting and challenging the franchise had felt for years. Never mind the Craig era, Casino Royale is one of the best Bond movies ever, period.<\/p>\n
Watch Casino Royale on Prime Video<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>1. On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service<\/b><\/h2>\n $\"""\"$ <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Sunset Boulevard\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Bond fans have had all the time in the world to reappraise On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service \u2013 well, half a century at least \u2013 and across the years the popular consensus on George Lazenby\u2019s sole outing as agent 007 has radically transformed.<\/p>\n
Once considered a misfire, an embarrassing anomaly that might\u2019ve sunk the franchise had producers not coughed up the requisite cash to lure Sean Connery back for the following instalment, time has been kind to OHMSS, which is now regarded by many as the finest Bond movie of them all, both a gripping thriller with action sequences tautly directed by Peter Hunt and a tragic love story brought to brilliant life by its two leads, George Lazenby and Diana Rigg.<\/p>\n
Lazenby\u2019s work, in particular, has come in for a lot of stick over the years, but the memory cheats \u2013 his status as the one-and-done Bond seems to have led to the misapprehension that his performance here doesn\u2019t work, or that the film might\u2019ve been even better if Connery had been on board.<\/p>\n
In fact, much of why the film succeeds is down to Lazenby \u2013 possibly as a result of the actor\u2019s relative inexperience when hired, his Bond feels less cocksure, less invincible than his predecessor\u2019s, which makes him the perfect lead for this film, an adventure that sees 007 fall in love, retire, and then suffer a staggering personal loss.<\/p>\n
A vivacious, heartfelt turn from Rigg makes her the perfect screen partner as Tracy, while Telly Savalas\u2019 more brawny Blofeld is the perfect foe to go up against Lazenby\u2019s secret agent.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s telling that when looking to celebrate the best of Bond to mark Daniel Craig\u2019s departure, the franchise turned to this film, with No Time to Die riffing on particular moments and lines of dialogue and even lifting wholesale its use of Louis Armstrong\u2019s We Have All The Time In The World.<\/p>\n
Far from a failure, On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service is now the Bond film to beat.<\/p>\n
Watch On Her Majesty\u2019s Secret Service on Prime Video<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
Read more:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Amazon\u2019s James Bond competition show is accepting applications<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
Outlander\u2019Sam Heughan on James Bond odds: \u201cIt would be incredible\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
Every Daniel Craig James Bond movie \u2013 ranked<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
Will James Bond survive? Why the 007 franchise is destined to overcome its threats<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
All 25 Bond movies are available to stream now on Prime Video \u2013 sign up for a Prime Video free trial<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Visit our Movies<\/a> hub for more news, interviews and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong>isten to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a> with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n
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By Morgan Jeffery Published: Friday, 15 April 2022 at 12:00 am To mark six decades of James Bond, secret agent 007, on the big screen, all 25 official James Bond films are returning to cinemas. From Friday 15th April 2022, each of the films will take a turn screening in cinemas nationwide, going chronologically and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":13935,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/04\/every-james-bond-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Morgan Jeffery Published: Friday, 15 April 2022 at 12:00 am To mark six decades of James Bond, secret agent 007, on the big screen, all 25 official James Bond films are returning to cinemas. From Friday 15th April 2022, each of the films will take a turn screening in cinemas nationwide, going chronologically and…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/13934"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}